According to the Environment Ministry, a Brazilian government institute that distributes land to the poor, is fueling the destruction of Amazon. And private land owners have aggravated the situation.

Since the 1960s, when the colonists established themselves near the forests of Amazon, it has been under grave threat from deforestation. Ever since then, their farming practices have been steadily depleting the forests. Tropical rain forests have nutrient-poor soil, since they receive high rainfall. The soil in such forests lack enough nutrients and does not encourage crops, but is good for grass, thus cattle rearing by farmers is common.

Tropical rain forests cannot sustain human habitation, because the food sources in the forest are extremely dispersed, which is based on the structure of the rain forest. Humans living there, resort to clearing forested areas and using it as agricultural land. This leads to destruction of the forests due to increasing habitat fragmentation.

Brazil is the second largest producer of soybeans in the world. Brazilian legislation states that clearing land for crops should be considered as an ‘effective use’ of land and thus prioritized for giving out land ownership. As such there are very few farmers and numerous landholders.

It is not for the first time,however, that any government is jeopardizing people’s freedom and security. The poor suffer the most, and they bear the brunt of the government’s action too. Developing countries bargain for lenient laws and legislation, but never take the trouble to rise up to the occasion, which is only possible when the government and the people will work together.

Source: Abcnews/ Planet Ark / Image332284